Joint for railway-rail ends



Dec. 1 1925 B. LESLIE JOINT FOR RAILWAY RAIL ENDS Filed Feb. 15'. 1924wir Patented 1, 1925.

`Unrnnisraras earsnr JOINT FOR RALVA/FRAIL ENDSQ Application ledFebruary 13, 19%. Serial No. 692,535.

To all fr0/iomz't may 00a/cera.:

Pie it l-:nown that l, BRADFORD LESLIE, a subjectof the Kinn' of GreatBritaim residinn' in London. England. have invented a certain new anduseful Improved Joint for Railway-Bail Ends. of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved joint for connecting andsupporting the square ends of railway rails and is adaptable to alltypes of such rails.

The object of the present invention is to provide an inflexible supportfor the rail ends at eachnjoint in order to preserve theiil runningsurfaces in the same plane. in substitntion for the ordinary fish-jointand other joints which have been found to rest upon sleeper areainsufficient to compensate for the non-continuity of the rails,resulting in low joints which produce wear and concussion.

It has been proposed to provide a centra transverse sleeper at the jointbetween the two transverse sleepers on either side of the joint and in aknown construction intended to supersede the fish-joint the rail endsare carried upon a bearing plate supported upon the aforesaid sleepersand said rail ends fastened to the bearing' plate by means of clampingplates.-

Accordinnj to the present invention the defects ofthe fish-joint andother joints are remedied bv the provision of an inflexible sleeperplatform consisting' of a joint block under each rail joint rigidlyconnected with additional supporting' blocks on either side, whichblocks may be transverse sleepers extending' under both rails. theplatform so formed having' bearing' surface on the ballast adequate tocompensate' for the noncontinuity of the rails and supporting` the railsnormally at the joint upon cast iron chairs (in the case of bull-headedor reversible rails) and upon bearingl plates (in the case of fiatfooted rails) carried upon the inflexible sleeper platform.

ln one construction according' to the invention the joint block extendslongitudinally between and preferably at the same level as twotransverse sleepers one on either side of the joint. and is firmlysecured to the sleepers as by means of tongue plates in contipgnous`portions and adjustable tie rods between the two sleepers. In analternative construction the yinflexible support for the rail ends ateacli joint is afforded by three or more short contiguous transversesleepers fixed to an iron joist or beam of such a section as to preventany appreciable deflection under inaztinnun axle load at the joint.

The result is-a jilatform supporting the rail ends normally to thevertical load hai inc; the infiexibility necessary to preserve therunning' surfaces of the rail ends in a connnon plane and an effectivebearing' surface on the ballast which compensates for the non-continnityof the rails. This bearing); surface about one-thirdD or more, greaterthan that secured in usual practice.

ln the accompanying,v drawings Fin'. l is a plan View of the improved joint as adapted to bull-head or reversible rails; Fig'. 2 is a sectionon the line 2 2 of l; Fig. 3 is a' plan view of the improved jointsadapted to rails having` a flat foot or base; and Fig. l is a section onthe line le-Ll of Fin'. 3.

Referring' to Fig-gs. 1-4, the inflexible support for the rail endsconsists of a short longitudinal sleeper or joint block A conihined withthe transverse sleepers B. one on either side of the joint. saidlongitudinal sleeper or joint block extending,l between and preferablyat the saine level as the transverse sleepers B and being),` rigidlyconnected therewith by means of tongue plates L or in any other suitablemanner.

The longitudinal sleeper or joint block A is held in firnfi Contact withthc transverse slee ers by means of bolts which are adapted to bescrewed up tightly and prevent movement between fhc sleepers. Thelongitudinal sleeper or joint block would be preferably wider than thetransverse sleepers and arranged so that the whole platform is readilyaccessible from all sides and constitutes an inflexible support for therail ends.

ln the case of bull-head or reversible rails. see l and 9i. the rails Dare carried in cast iron joint chairs E fastened to the longitudinalsleeper A. by means of screws M, the bases of which chairs are wideenough to afford-supportto the rails. The jaws of the joint chairs maybe increased in width if desired.

Hard wood or other suitable wedges F may be interposed between the jawsof the chairs and the rails lto hold them in p0sition. If holding;wedges are used, when adjustment has been made to permit of expansion orcontraction of the rails, these wedges may be secured by pins passingthrough holes in the key jaw G of the chair, and in the wedges toprevent the latter from working loose. This latter device may be used onthe intern'iediate sleepers, and if the wedges are hard-driven beforepinning at two or three sleepers on either' side of the centre of therail, they will prevent creep of the rails. The use of suoli jointchairs dispenses with the necessity for holes in the rails.

In the case of rails having a flat base or foot, see Figs. 8 and l,holes in the rails are also unnecessary. The rail ends l) are supportednormally upon a metal bearing plate H of suitable thickness, which .isfastened directly to the longitudinal sleeper or joint block A by meansof screws I and dog-spikes J which pass through holes in the bearingplate, each of said screws being provided with a collar K which isadapted to overlap the rail flange and hold the rail in contact with thebearing plate.

The transverse sleepers B may also have bearing plates H interposedbetvreen them and the rails, or these latter bearing plates may beformed integral with the aforesaid longitudinal bearing plate.

rIhe bearing plates I-I are preferably rolled to give the usual cant tothe rails, as shown in Fig. 4, thereby dispensing` with the need foradzing the transverse sleepers and, in the case of a joint chair, thebase of the chair is cast at the inclination required to give the cant.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the bestmeans I know of carrying the saine into practical effect, I claim 1. Aninfiexible support for the ends of railway rails designed to preservetheir' running surfaces in the same plane without the use of fishplates,comprising` a sleeper' platform consisting of a joint block, additionalsupporting blocks on either side of said joint block, means rigidlyconnecting the joint block with the adjacent supporting blocks tomaintain the surfaces thereof at the saine level, said means includingtie bolts passing through said supporting blocks, and a bearing platesecured centrally upon the said joint block and supporting the abuttingends of the rails at their junction and for a distance on either sidethereof.

2. An inflexible support for the ends of railway rails, comprising ajoint block for disposition longitudinally under a rail joint,transverse sleepers, one on either side of the joint block, having theirsurfaces at the saine level as that of the joint block, means connectingsaid joint block and said transverse sleepers to maintain the surfacesat the same level, and tie bolts connecting the transverse sleepers andoperating to press their sides firmly against the ends of the jointblock.

3. An inflexible support for the ends of railway rails, comprising asleeper platform for a rail joint consisting of a joint block to beplaced under a rail joint, additional supporting blocks on either side.of said joint block, niortised connections between the joint block andthe additional supporting blocks and tie bolts passing through the saidadditional supporting blocks.

t. An inflexible support for the ends of railway rails, comprising asleeper platform for supporting a rail joint consisting of a joint blockto be placed under a rail joint, two transverse sleepers, one on eitherside 0f the joint block and at the same level therewith, tongue platesconnecting the joint block with the adjacent sleepers, and tie boltspassing through the said sleepers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

BRADFORD LESLIE.

